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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser for blending a plurality of beverage concentrates and a mix to form and dispense a blended fluid formed from mixing predetermined amounts of the concentrate and mix.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dispenser assemblies are known for mixing predetermined amounts of different types of fluids to form a blended beverage to be dispensed. In particular, it is known to mix a beverage concentrate such as a concentrated beverage syrup, with a mix, such as water or carbonated water, to form a blended beverage, such as soda, to be dispensed. Known beverage dispensers utilize a pump to supply the concentrate to a mixing chamber where the concentrate can be blended with a mix to form a blended beverage to be dispensed. When a plurality of beverage concentrates are available, a separate pumping apparatus is generally associated with each concentrate to enable selected concentrates to be individually pumped and dispensed and to prevent mixing of the concentrates.
When a beverage for human consumption is being blended, it is desirable to seal the beverage dispensing system to prevent foreign material and bacteria from entering the system. It is well known to utilize peristaltic pumps in beverage dispensing and blending systems due to the sealed configuration of the peristaltic pumps. In known beverage dispensers, a peristaltic pump is provided for each individual supply of concentrate so that various concentrates can be independently blended with a mix on demand. In typical beverage dispensing machines one to five individual supplies of a concentrated beverage are each provided with a peristaltic metering pump to pump, on demand, a predetermined amount of a preselected supply of beverage concentrate. Thus, if five supplies of beverage concentrate are provided to make five flavors of beverage, for example, grape, cherry, lemon, orange, and lime, five individual peristaltic metering pumps are required. The use of a plurality of pumps substantially increases the cost of the beverage dispensing mechanism.
From a commercial standpoint, it is desirable to minimize the cost of any beverage dispensing mechanism. It is also desirable to utilize a single pump to pump a selected beverage concentrate from multiple supplies of beverage concentrate while at the same time preventing unwanted mixing of the multiple supplies of beverage concentrate.
The present invention relates to a new and improved fluid dispenser assembly in which a beverage concentrate is blended with a mix such as water to make a mixed beverage wherein a vacuum is utilized to draw the beverage concentrate from a supply of beverage concentrate to mix the beverage concentrate with a mix such as water to form a mixed beverage to be dispensed.
The present invention relates to a new and improved beverage dispenser for mixing water and a beverage concentrate to dispense a mixed beverage formed from mixing a predetermined amount of beverage concentrate with a predetermined amount of water including a water supply, a supply of at least a single type of beverage concentrate, a manifold, a first conduit connecting the supply of beverage concentrate to the manifold, a first valve located in the first conduit having an open position in which the manifold is in fluid communication with the supply of beverage concentrate and a closed position in which the supply of beverage concentrate is isolated from the manifold, a pump having an inlet at which a negative pressure is established with the inlet of the pump being operatively connected to the manifold to establish a negative pressure in the manifold to draw the beverage concentrate from the supply of beverage concentrate into the manifold when the first valve is in its open position to provide a predetermined amount of beverage concentrate in the manifold, a second conduit for directing the water supply to the manifold to mix the beverage concentrate in the manifold with a predetermined amount of water to make a mixed beverage and a dispensing station at which the mixed beverage is dispensed.
The present invention further relates to a new and improved beverage dispenser for blending a mix and a concentrate to dispense a blended beverage formed from mixing a predetermined amount of concentrate with a predetermined amount of mix including a mix supply, a supply of at least a single type of concentrate, a manifold, a first conduit connecting said supply of concentrate to said manifold, a first valve for controlling fluid flow through said first conduit, a vacuum source operatively connected to the manifold to establish a negative pressure in the manifold to draw the concentrate from the supply of concentrate through the first conduit into the manifold, a second conduit for directing the mix to the manifold to blend the concentrate in the manifold with a predetermined amount of mix to make a blended beverage from a predetermined amount of mix and a predetermined amount of concentrate and a dispensing station for dispensing the blended beverage.
Still another provision of the present invention is to provide a new and improved beverage dispenser for blending a mix and a concentrate to dispense a blended beverage formed from blending a predetermined amount of concentrate with a predetermined amount of mix including a supply of mix, a plurality of supplies of concentrate, a manifold, a plurality of conduits each of which connects one of plurality of supplies of concentrate to the manifold, a plurality of valves one of which is disposed in each of the plurality of conduits and each of which has an open and a closed position to control the flow of concentrate through the associated conduit from a supply of concentrate, a vacuum source operatively connected to the manifold to establish a negative pressure in the manifold to draw the concentrate from one of supplies of concentrate through one of the plurality of conduits and one of the plurality of valves and into the manifold to provide a predetermined amount of concentrate in the manifold, a second conduit for directing the mix to the manifold to blend the concentrate in the manifold with a predetermined amount of mix to make a blended beverage and a dispensing station for dispensing the blended beverage.